Study of prezygotic and postzygotic barriers of crossability in the genus Lotus
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2006 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | Abstract Book XXVI EUCARPIA Fodder Crops and Amenity Grasses Section and XVI Medicago spp. Group, Breeding and seed production for conventional and organic agriculture |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Plant cultivation |
| Keywords | Lotus - embryogenesis - prezygotic barriers - postzygotic barriers |
| Description | Lotus corniculatus L. is a crucial component of meadow and pasture vegetation and can be also used as a fodder crop. Its growth is limited by differences in maturation and pod shattering, which also affect the seed yield. The problem of pod shattering can be solved by means of interspecific hybridization with various distantly related indehiscent Lotus species. Our work was aimed at the study of prezygotic and postzygotic barriers of crossability between L. corniculatus and the sources of indehiscent seed pod trait, such as L. conimbricensis, L. ornithopodioides or L. uliginosus (2n=2x and 4x). The controlled pollination was applied in intraspecific and interspecific combinations of crosses. The method of callose staining with aniline blue was used for evaluation of the ability of pollen grains to germinate on the stigma and pollen tubes to grow through the style. In both reciprocal crosses, 113 flowers were evaluated. The growth of pollen tubes up to ovary was observed in the cross combinations L. corniculatus x L. ornithopodioides, L. corniculatus x L. uliginosus (2n=2x and 4x) and L. ornithopodioides x L. uliginosus (2n=2x and 4x). For the study of postzygotic barriers in the genus Lotus, the method of clearing treatment of plant tissues by chloral hydrate was used. The flowers after the crosses L. corniculatus x L. ornithopodioides, L. corniculatus x L. uliginosus (2n=2x and 4x) and L. ornithopodioides x L. uliginosus (2n=2x and 4x) were taken after 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 days after pollination and embryogenesis was observed with Nomarsky optics. So far the method of clearing was optimized and particular stages of embryogenesis were observed in L. corniculatus and L. uliginosus. |
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